


Covidiots

by IJM



Category: General Hospital
Genre: Current Events, Gen, Mob Violence, Quarantine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 15,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23588191
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IJM/pseuds/IJM
Summary: A hostage situation in the middle of a pandemic.
Relationships: Franco and Elizabeth Baldwin
Comments: 68
Kudos: 38





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Not for profit. No claim of ownership of characters. For entertainment purposes only.

Jason Morgan was on the rooftop of the Metro Court hotel waiting for Cyrus Renault to leave the building. The streets were practically empty. The hotel was at its lowest occupancy level in years with only long-term guests staying through the pandemic. All business offices were closed, and the restaurant was closed to the public. Jason waited for his cue. Damian Spinelli intended to remotely cause the fire alarm to go off, sending the few guests into the street. When Renault appeared, Jason was going to take him out with one precise shot to the head. 

Jason was felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Assuming it was a text from Sonny Corinthos or Spinelli, he checked. He rolled his eyes when he saw that Franco Baldwin had sent him a message. He hated that this man was even one of his contacts, much less a necessary contact since Franco was now his son Jake’s stepfather. 

_ Please call Jake. He misses you _ . Jason sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. He had more important things to take care of.

Franco Baldwin stood in his kitchen, overseeing Aiden’s attempts at a new recipe. He saw on his phone that Jason had read the message. He looked towards the couch were Jake was sitting, hoping that the kid’s cell phone would ring. Jake was bored being stuck in the house and he was upset that Jason hadn’t called him or come to see him in weeks. 

“It’s not like he can do anything else,” Jake told Franco. “He’s got to shelter in place like the rest of us, right?”

Knowing that Jason only did what Jason wanted to do, Franco offered that it was possible that Jason’s job was keeping him busy because grocery retailers were considered essential workers and they had to be supplied with coffee. It wasn’t exactly a lie, but Franco had to walk a thin line between his love for Jake and his contempt for Jason. Jake always won.

Franco kept busy in the home since his job as a therapist was classified as nonessential. His wife, Elizabeth, however had been working almost nonstop. The influx of patients with the COVID-19 virus was overwhelming. His worry for his wife’s health and safety kept him on edge. He had discovered he was quite thorough when he had to clean everything like all their lives depended on it. He had become almost obsessive about wiping down doorknobs and handles and electronics. 

He also felt badly that he had been without work for several months in 2019 and now couldn’t work because of federal and state health regulations. Mostly, he worried about Elizabeth. He knew she would take precautions she needed to as long as the equipment she needed was available, but the availability of personal protective equipment had become an issue. 

Cameron chose to shelter in his bedroom most of the time. He was being responsible about getting his online schoolwork completed. Jake and Aiden needed a few more reminders, but both were bright and tended to finish their projects quickly which led to inevitable afternoon boredom. 

Much like Franco, Jake was not in the frame of mind to draw or paint or sculpt or do anything artistic. The entire world had been turned upside down in the last couple of months. 

Everyone was reeling from the newfound knowledge of how nonessential they were. A pandemic rendered art, therapists, classrooms, sporting events, birthday parties, movies, concerts, and hanging out with friends all nonessential. 

Franco was working with Monica to try to establish a tele-therapist networking system because the pandemic was causing many people to experience higher levels of depression and anxiety. Mental health had to take a backseat to physical health for a while. 

“This is going to be so good,” Aiden said, peeking into the oven. “You think Mom will be home in time to eat with us?”

“Buddy, even if she does get home early, you know she’s not going to eat with us.” Elizabeth refused to risk exposing her kids to the virus. She came in, showered in the downstairs guest bathroom, and stayed away from her family. She knew she could have picked up the virus and not have symptoms yet—or at all.

It was hard for Elizabeth and Franco as a couple too. She was committed to serving her community and doing her job. She was even more committed to keeping her family safe. She wouldn’t sleep upstairs with Franco or near the kids. She was typically so exhausted that she would pass out in the guest room after a meal and skyping with her family from the same house. Franco washed the bedding daily and scrubbed the room. His part right now was “house husband” and as much as he wanted to protect his family, this was his only option for doing so. 

“When will things get back to normal?” Aiden asked, in frustrated whine.

Franco sighed. “I don’t know. No one does. The numbers are looking better, but things change every day. We just have to follow the guidelines and do our part.”

“I’m bored,” Jake announced, walking into the kitchen. “Can’t we go somewhere?”

“Bored is better than sick,” Franco reminded them. Daily. Several times a day. “Be grateful for boredom. It means you’re healthy and you have shelter. You have your brothers and me. Your mom is a superhero. She’s saving lives. She’s amazing.”

“Don’t you want to get back to work?” Jake asked.

“Of course, I do,” Franco answered. “I want to help my patients. We all have new roles to play and new ways to play them. Following the CDC guidelines is the only hope we have to get back to normal.”

Meanwhile things were not going as planned for Jason. He rubbed the back of his head as his blurry vision cleared. He knew he had been struck from behind.

A familiar face came into view. The man had Jason’s cell phone in his hand.

“Did you think Sonny Corinthos is the only person with access to surveillance?” the man asked bitterly. “Get your ass up. You just sent a text to Jake, promising to go see him. And that’s exactly where we’re going.”

“What?” Jason asked. “You can’t mean that. Why would you go after Jake?”

“That’s how Renault works. And since he didn’t leave me to rot in jail for something I didn’t do, it’s how I work now too.”

Jason realized he was unarmed as he stood. An unknown man shoved a gun against his back. “You better do what he says.”

Jason nodded. He was outnumbered, unarmed, and dealing with an once ally, but now bitter enemy: Shawn Butler. 


	2. Chapter 2

“Franco! Dad sent me a text and said he’s coming to visit!” Jake announced. He showed Franco the message.

“He’s coming _here_?” Franco asked, conflicted. “ _Now_?” He was wary of Jason showing up while they were trying to shelter in place. He wondered if Jason thought he could avoid the pandemic by shooting at the virus. But Franco wouldn’t disappoint Jake and he didn’t want to create any more friction between himself and Jason.

“Can he stay for dinner?” Jake asked. “We always have leftovers.”

Franco took a breath before answering. “You can invite him.”

“Thanks, Franco, you’re the best!” Jake gave his stepfather a hug.

Franco was happy to see Jake happy. He was completely annoyed that Jason wasn’t following the state regulations for social distancing. _Couldn’t he have just called?_

Franco sent Jake upstairs to tell Aiden and Cameron that Jason was coming for a visit so they would be sure to avoid coming downstairs in their underwear. The blurred days and nights of quarantine had completely obliterated any inhibitions the boys may have had when Franco had first moved in.

Soon, there was a knock on the door. Jake was eager to let Jason in, but Franco stopped him. He kept the deadbolt attached and cracked the door open to speak to Jason.

“Hey, Jason. Jake’s super glad you came for a visit, but before you come in, I’m obligated to tell you that we’re quarantined. Elizabeth is exposed to the virus every day at work. I’m not trying to keep you away from Jake. I just want you to make an informed decision. If you come in, you’ll have to take quarantine precautions when you leave.” He explained the situation briefly.

“Oh, that’s right!” Jason said. “I’m an idiot.”

Franco’s eyes widened. He silently agreed.

“Hey, Jake, can you hear me?” Jason asked. He hoped Franco’s warning would be enough to keep the men who were holding him at gunpoint from going inside the house. “I forgot that your house was quarantined because of the pandemic. I probably shouldn’t come in. I’m sorry. I don’t want to expose anyone else.”

“Oh,” Jake said, moving closer to the door. “Can’t you just come in for a minute. I just want to see you. I don’t have to give you a hug.” His disappointment was audible.

“I really shouldn’t,” Jason maintained. He looked at Shawn Butler. “I’m sure no one wants to get the coronavirus. It’s already killed so many people in New York.”

“Alright,” Jake agreed. “When will you come back?”

“Whenever the governor says it’s okay,” Jason told him, relieved.

“Get your ass inside that house!” Shawn barked at Jason.

“Who is that?” Franco asked. “Who is with you?”

“Close and lock the door!” Jason shouted. “Barricade it.”

Franco moved quickly and did as Jason said. But as soon as he put his hand on the doorknob to twist the lock into place, he felt a singeing sting. The bullet that went through his hand forced him backwards and he fell with a thud. “Run, Jake,” he yelled. “Go hide!”

“You’re bleeding!” Jake protested, as the door was kicked open by one of the two men who were working with Shawn.

“Run!” Franco ordered.

It was too late. One man grabbed Jake as Jason was pushed into the house. Jake screamed for Franco to help him, but Franco hadn’t managed to even get himself up from the now bloody carpet.

“I’m sorry,” Jason said. “Please don’t hurt my kid,” he asked of Shawn and the two men whose names he hadn’t heard.

“Help Franco!” Jake plead with Jason. “He’s hurt. He’s bleeding.”

Jason, quite unaccustomed to asking for permission to do something, asked Shawn, “Can I help him get up and do something about that wound?”

“I don’t care about his wound,” Shawn said.

“Oh, that’s smart. By all means,” Franco encouraged in sarcasm that most people wouldn’t use with someone who was armed and had already shot him once, “The more body fluid gushing forth, the higher the chances of you all dying from COVID-19. We’re quarantined for a reason.” He used his left hand to flick blood from his right hand directly at Shawn. He was far more infuriated that these men were threatening his family than he was fearful of being hurt himself.

Shawn jumped backward, trying to avoid the spray, “Hey, man! What are you doing?”

“You shot me!” Franco reminded him. “Payback.”

“I’ll shoot you again,” Shawn warned him, waving the gun like a threat.

“High velocity blood spatter. _Brilliant_. You _all_ die from coronavirus.” Franco’s tone was condescending as he attempted to protect his boys by intimidating these men with an enemy they couldn’t fight. He wasn’t in the physical condition to defend them, but he would use every psychological tool he could. “Your guy there should probably get his grimy hands off Jake. Jake had a low-grade fever this morning. It’s only a matter of time before we both start coughing little viral droplets into your personal space.” He purposefully used _both,_ hoping that Cameron and Aiden could stay hidden. Since they had not come downstairs, he was counting on Cameron realizing there was a problem and protecting Aiden and getting in touch with someone to help them.

“He doesn’t look sick,” Grimy Hands argued.

“Are you even paying attention?” Franco asked, holding onto his right hand with his left. “You can carry the virus fourteen days or more before showing symptoms. You can have it and not even have symptoms. My wife is a nurse. She is exposed every day. This whole house is crawling with viruses. You’re going to wind up in the ICU, a machine breathing for you, but only if they think your life is worth saving. Ethical or not, no one at any local hospital is going to put forth much effort to save a feverish, gasping, waste of space like you while your organs shut down and your body floods with toxins _if you hurt Elizabeth’s kid_. She’s one of their own. Kind of a mob mentality, I suppose.”

Jake knew Franco was lying about his having a fever, but he recognized that he was trying to distract the bad guys. “Please let me help Franco,” Jake asked. “He’s really making a mess on the carpet.”

Shawn looked at the blood on the carpet and visualized all those germs Franco talked about. “Yeah, stop that bleeding. Get him up,” he told Jason.

Jason helped Franco get up by supporting the right side of his body. Blood dripped onto his t-shirt and jeans. “Grab the first aid kit,” Jason told Jake.

While Jake got the first aid kit from the kitchen, Jason escorted Franco to the closest bathroom and turned on the sink to wash the wound.

“What the hell is going on?” Franco whispered. His hand was throbbing, but he knew the wound wasn’t fatal. But it was _his hand_. His _right hand_. What if this injury prohibited him from ever painting again?

“Cyrus Renault,” Jason whispered. “He’s coming after Sonny, me, Jordan Ashford, our families.”

“The same guy that had Cam kidnapped and killed Trina’s father?” Franco whispered back harshly. “There’s a damn pandemic and you led him to our house? Are you insane?”

“I didn’t have a choice. He was going to go after Jake with or without me.”

“Jake hasn’t done anything to anyone. He’s a kid.”

“Renault doesn’t give a damn,” Jason replied in his hushed tone. “He had TJ kidnapped and that’s Shawn’s kid with Jordan. He’s ruthless. Where are Cam and Aiden?”

“I hope to God Cam figured out what is going on and hid with Aiden. They’re both smart kids. Cam will do what he can to go undetected. He’s getting a lot of experience with being held hostage in the last year.”

“At least it’s a through and through,” Jason commented on the bullet wound, pouring an entire bottle of hydrogen peroxide over it.

“Yeah,” Franco agreed, wincing. “It’s just my right fucking hand, the one I paint with. That’s like you getting shot in your trigger finger.”

Jake brought the First Aid kit into the bathroom. He assisted Jason in cleaning, packing, and dressing Franco’s hand.

“Do you really have the virus?” Jason asked Franco.

“I said I did, didn’t I?” Franco wouldn’t commit to clear a denial so Jason would question it and act accordingly.

“Hurry up in there,” Shawn barked. “I don’t trust you two.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Franco told him, exiting the bathroom with his hand covered in white gauze and paper tape.

“Would you shut up?” Jason asked bitterly. “You’re going to get us all killed by talking too damn much.”

“This idiot isn’t going to kill Jake. He came here because he wants something that he thinks having Jake will provide.” He paused. “I don’t care if he kills you.” He gave a slight nod to Jason to let him know to play along.

Jason almost imperceivably replied to the nod, agreeing to Franco’s method. He had already succeeded in getting the men to unhand Jake and get his own wound tended to. Jason might hate Franco, but he would never accuse him of being unintelligent or ineffective.

“Who needs to know that you have access to Jake?” Franco asked Shawn. “The sooner we contact that person and get whatever it is you want, the sooner you can get out of my house and take your minions with you.” He scoffed. “I never thought I’d see the day you had minions, Shawn. You used to be one yourself.”

Shawn looked irritated. “My boss wants Sonny Corinthos and Jordan Ashford in his presence. Now.”

Franco threw his arm around Shawn and motioned for Jake and Jason to join him. “So, are we posing for a selfie or what? You have to take it, of course, considering you disabled my hand.”

Shawn jumped away from Franco. “Get away from me, man! Are you crazy! Can’t you put on a mask or something?”

Franco coughed. “Whoops.”

The other two men were also nervous. “Just get what you need,” one of them told Shawn. “We need to go.”

Shawn took his camera and made a video of Jason, Jake, and Franco standing side by side, with the outstretched arm of Grimy Hands holding a gun on them. “Read this.”

Jason took the paper and complied with the directive. He sighed heavily, seeing what he was being forced to say.

“My name is Jason Morgan. I am with my son Jake Webber in his home. I work for Sonny Corinthos who is almost as corrupt as Jordan Ashford, the police commissioner. Jordan Ashford planted evidence to send an innocent man to jail. Sonny Corinthos and I have aided her corruption by attempting to hide her involvement. Do not send the police or any other individuals to my current location. The Innocent Man demands that both Sonny Corinthos and Jordan Ashford avail themselves to him within the hour or my son and I will die.” It wasn’t in the script, but he added, “And Franco Baldwin too, Jake’s stepfather. He’ll die too. They already shot him.” He lifted Franco’s arm so that his bandaged hand was clearly in view of the camera while Franco groaned from the way Jason forced his arm to move.

“That hurts,” Franco complained. However, he could read Jason. Jason was making the impending danger to their lives evident.

“If they comply, Jake and Franco will be spared.”

Shawn ended the video. “That wasn’t in the script,” he barked.

“Did I lie?” Jason asked.

Shawn didn’t answer. He uploaded the video to YouTube and sent the link to Cyrus Renault, The Invader, and the local television stations with the message HOSTAGE SITUATION. His burner phone was set up to send the message anonymously and hide his IP address and location settings. “This shouldn’t take long,” he announced. “The sooner we get out of here, the better.”

Franco coughed.

Jake coughed.

Jason coughed.


	3. Chapter 3

Elizabeth Webber-Baldwin was startled to hear over the intercom a that she had an emergency phone call. Her cell phone was in her locker because if it was locked away, she was much less likely to touch it. 

She had to take off personal protective gear and wash her hands before handling the hospital phone with a different pair of gloves than she had just removed. 

“Elizabeth, do you know what’s going on?” her former sister-in-law Lulu Falconeri asked. 

“What are you talking about, Lulu. I haven’t had a break since I got here.”

“Oh, Elizabeth. I’m so sorry. Cameron sent me a text because he couldn’t reach you. He’s hiding with Aiden in your bedroom closet. Jason showed up at your house and there were some other men and gunfire. All Cam knows is Franco and Jake are downstairs with Jason and whoever else is there. The police are on the way or may be there by now. I have no idea what’s happening right now.”

Elizabeth was too stunned to speak. Lulu told her about the video and that it was posted on YouTube and the Invader’s website. Ignoring the hospital’s technology usage policy, Elizabeth used the closest computer to find the video.

The video captured the attention of the staff who were close by. Hamilton Finn and Epiphany Johnson stood behind Elizabeth watching as she did. 

Elizabeth hung up on Lulu without a word and looked to her coworkers. Her child had a gun pointed at him and her husband had been shot. She sputtered, trying to tell them that she needed to go home, and she needed supplies to help Franco and anyone else who had been hurt. 

“I’ll take you,” Finn offered. “You get your stuff and Nurse Johnson and I will get some supplies.” He was certain an ambulance would be at the residence along with the police, a SWAT team, a hostage negotiator, and the fire department, but there were some things he might need that an ambulance wouldn’t typically carry.

Finn tried to comfort Elizabeth during the drive. He speculated that Franco had been shot with a low velocity weapon or that something had slowed the bullet since he was able to appear in the video. He said he was sure that Jake would be protected by both his father and stepfather. He barely knew Jason, but he had heard about Franco tackling the man who held Elizabeth and Jake at gunpoint in the garage so that they could get away. He obviously cared more about their safety than his own. Finn also praised Cameron for hiding with Aiden and contacting people for help. 

In her mind, Elizabeth agreed with everything Finn said. But it was impossible to be unafraid that things could get worse before they arrived. The entire street she lived on was blocked off and filled with emergency vehicles. She showed her identification to a police officer and she and Finn were escorted to the house where a hostage negotiator was trying to talk Shawn Butler into surrendering.

Finn saw his brother Harrison Chase and got his attention. “Ask them to let Jake come out and me go in,” he said. “We know Franco needs medical attention.”

“I want to go in too,” Elizabeth said.

“No,” The brothers responded in unison. 

Elizabeth was taken aback. “It’s my family.”

“If they let Jake can come out, he’s going to need his mom,” Chase reminded her.

“Of course, you’re right,” Elizabeth said. She had exchanged texts with Cameron and told him to just stay hidden with Aiden and to be very quiet. “Where is Jordan Ashford?” Elizabeth asked Chase. “Where is Sonny Corinthos? Those two are at the heart of this mess.”

“They are with other officers attempting to reach out to Cyrus Renault,” Chase answered. “He disclosed a location to meet them.”

“Won’t he just kill my family if they show up with law enforcement?” Elizabeth was distraught. “I never wanted Jake around this life,” she said more to herself than anyone else. “Jason was supposed to stay away. But, no, I let him in, thinking he would protect his own kids at least. I’m a fool to have anything to do with that man or to let him around my kids.”

“This is not your fault,” Chase assured her. “We’re going to protect your family.” He explained that he had also been in contact with Cameron and Aiden via text and that they were safe.

“Mom!” Jake yelled, exiting the house as Finn was allowed inside. 

“Jake!” she ran to her son, meeting him with a police escort. She wrapped him in a hug before running her hands over his face and head and shoulders, asking if he was hurt.

“I’m okay,” he told her. “But Franco got shot in his hand. He was kind of okay at first, but he’s not doing as well now. I think that’s why they let me go and let Dr. Finn come in. The guys with the guns are acting all nervous. One of them said this wasn’t going according to the plan.”

“Did they say what the plan was?” Chase asked Jake, joining Elizabeth by his side. He steered the boy toward the ambulance for a wellness check.

“Not really,” Jake answered. “I’m okay,” he said before the EMTs could check him. 

“Just let them do their jobs, okay, honey,” Elizabeth urged. 

She looked back at the house, spotlighted with bright lights, surrounded by a host of armed law enforcement officers ready to shoot to kill if given the order. She rubbed her hands through her hair in her anxiety. This was not what her boys were supposed to live like. If Sam or Carly chose this for their kids, that was their business. She didn’t choose this. She had never regretted Jake’s paternity being revealed more than she did at this moment. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

“I’m not armed,” Finn told the group of men in the Webber-Baldwin home as he entered the room with a leather satchel. “These are medical supplies. It looks like I need them.”

Franco was lying on the couch, sweating, and groaning in pain. Finn immediately put on a surgical gown and latex gloves that he took from the satchel. He knelt beside Franco and unwrapped the too-tight bandages around his hand which was now swollen. Fluid gushed from the wound onto him and the floor.

“What was done here?” he asked anyone who would answer.

“His hand was in the line of fire when Shawn blew out the door lock. We washed it. I poured hydrogen peroxide over it,” Jason explained.

Finn grunted in disapproval. “That could slow healing and damage tissue.” He could tell that Franco’s temperature was high. His hand was clearly infected, and he was in pain.

“He needs to go to the hospital,” Finn told the men. “This infection is spreading based on the red lines you can see on his arm. It could cause him to lose the limb if not properly treated.”

“Then I guess you’re going to have to properly treat it here,” Shawn replied. “I’m not letting anyone else go until I get the word from my boss.”

Finn scowled. This mobster only demonstrated his cowardice by waiting to hear from his boss. “Would one of you get me a pan of warm water and a washcloth?”

Jason looked to Shawn for permission to move. The man nodded him toward the kitchen.

“Franco, can you answer me?” Finn asked as he put on fresh latex gloves. The bloody ones were discarded in a pile with the gauze. “Do you know who I am?”

“Finn,” he said through gritted teeth.

“I’m going to help as much as I can. We don’t have optimal conditions, but I will do my best.”

Franco nodded.

“After I clean this, I will try to see if there are any particles that need to be removed.” He had noticed what looked like a chip of wood in the fluid that matched the blown apart doorframe. The door must have slowed the bullet. It appeared to be a small caliber weapon. There could be both metal and wooden debris within the wound.

“Thanks,” Franco said.

“First, I’m going to give you something for the pain.”

“No,” Franco resisted. “I need to help protect Jake.”

“Jake is safe. They let him go outside and me come in,” Finn explained. “He’s outside with his mom.” He was troubled that Franco wasn’t aware that Jake had been let go.

“Elizabeth.”

“Yes. She’s scared to death. You better let me treat you or she’ll have both our hides.”

Franco tried to laugh, but it was difficult to laugh through the throbbing pain radiating from his hand, up his arm and ravaging through his whole body now. He nodded.

Finn lifted a syringe and a vial and drew out a dosage of medication. “You may start to feel like you’re floating. If you do, just close your eyes. I’m also going to give you an antibiotic shot and then a local anesthetic to your hand so I can work on it,” he explained. “You shouldn’t feel any pain in a minute or two.”

Franco nodded. Almost as soon as he felt the medication enter his veins, he recognized the floating feeling that Finn mentioned. He had to close his eyes. If he didn’t the way the ceiling was moving was going to make him throw up.

“That’s good,” Finn said, “Just drift. You’re not going to feel a thing.”

He asked for more towels since he was about to make a bigger mess by cleaning the wound. He knew it was important to save the artist’s hand. “You’ve had a hell of a year, haven’t you?” Finn talked to Franco while he worked on his hand. He wasn’t sure if Franco could hear him, but if he could, it would be good to distract him.

“There was that psycho Ryan Chamberlain who framed you for murder. Then you confessed to find the real killer. I saw that video you did with Lulu Falconeri. You could have been an actor. That performance was convincing. Pretty wild, huh… being attacked by a guy who was supposed to be dead.”

Finn worked steadily while he spoke. “That wedding reception was really nice though. Thanks for the invitation. Well, except for having to fish Obrecht out of the harbor. You know, Elizabeth never thought you were guilty, no matter what anyone else said. Married you in jail. That’s a powerful statement.” He thought about Hayden showing up at the reception and wondered if he would ever know where she was.

Finn was normally not so verbose, but he felt that if he spoke while he worked, the men who posed a threat would pay attention to what he was doing. Not many people would see a makeshift surgery in someone’s living room. It was grotesquely disgusting and fascinating at the same time.

“Elizabeth sure did fight to make sure she got you back after the cult leader made you think you were Drew. That woman loves you, so you better get better. I think she’ll come after all of us if you don’t.” Finn had removed debris, chipped bone, and some muscle that was showing initial signs of necrosis. “Violet wants you to get better too so you can teach her to paint. So, keep that in mind.”

Stitching the wound wasn’t in the best interest of recovery, so he used antibiotic salve and a loose covering. There was a disgusting mess by the couch when he finished. He placed Franco’s hand on the arm rest. “His hand needs to be elevated,” he told them. “A blood transfusion is in order too. He lost more blood than he should have. He needs to go to the hospital.” Finn barked his orders to the kidnappers as he stripped himself of the protective mask, gown, and gloves.

“He’ll be fine,” Shawn replied. But his eyes betrayed him. He was worried. This wasn’t in his plans.

“What’s the situation with your boss? Has he gotten whatever he wanted? When are you going to let us go?” Finn wanted answers. “A bullet through a hand shouldn’t be a mortal wound, but if you prevent him from getting medical care in a sterile environment, you may be responsible for his death.”

Shawn checked his phone. There was nothing from Renault.

“Let me call my brother and update the situation,” Finn said. “They may not shoot to kill if they know you’re showing some mercy here.”

Shawn nodded.

“I did the best I could in these circumstances, but I’m worried about infection and blood loss. He needs to be admitted.” Finn told Chase over the phone. “Yeah, Jason and I are fine. We’re the only ones here.” He knew Cameron and Aiden were hiding in the closet upstairs. Shawn didn’t.

“There’s no imminent threat to anyone else right now,” Finn continued. “Everyone seems to be staring at each other waiting to hear from whoever The Boss is.” He was silent a moment. “I’ll pass on the message.”

Finn ended his call. “They’re willing to offer immunity if you flip.” He felt like he had just entered a crossover episode of the _Chicago_ franchise. He, as a doctor, had just done surgery in a home and was working with the police to negotiate a hostage crisis while the fire department and paramedics were waiting to storm the building. On top of that, he was doing all of this in the middle of a pandemic and a mob war. Somehow giving these three guppies immunity was worthwhile to catch a much bigger fish.

“You won’t get a better deal than that,” Jason spoke up. “You know how deals work. They’re put on the table for a limited amount of time.”

“Kiki,” Franco muttered, catching everyone’s attention.

“Wait, where are you going?” he asked. He saw Kiki waving to him.

“Come on,” she said. “I have to show you something.”

“Kiki, Kiki, wait for me. You’re running too fast.”

Kiki was wearing a summer dress covered in sunflowers and sprinting across the white sands of a beach. The ocean was a pristine deep blue. “Where are we going?” he asked her.

“You have to see,” Kiki told him. “Hurry!”

“Is he hallucinating?” Shawn asked, spooked by the one-sided ramblings of the halfway unconscious man on the couch.

“Kiki’s his dead daughter,” Jason told him, leaving out the convoluted biological details. “So, he’s either hallucinating or going toward the light. You probably need to make a decision about that immunity deal while you still can.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick update because loveamystery is really bored with GH and needs more Friz in her life.

“I have to find them,” Franco insisted to Elizabeth. He had been admitted to the hospital after Shawn released the hostages and flipped on Cyrus Renault to save himself.

Laura and Kevin took Jake, Cameron, and Aiden home with them. Cameron was praised by many officers for protecting his brother and alerting them to the situation.

Elizabeth and Finn had ridden in the ambulance with Franco on the way to the hospital. During the entire trip, Franco was on his own trip having a conversation with Kiki.

Elizabeth was thrilled that Franco was getting the medical attention he needed in the proper environment, but his insistence that his hallucination was real, even after he had slept off his most recent medication, was overwhelming her. She looked to Finn to help her help him understand.

“Franco, I gave you a sedative and something for pain. You were in a dream state, thinking you saw Kiki. I’m sorry. It was just a dream.”

Franco sighed. He understood why they didn’t believe him, but he could not make them understand why they needed to believe him. “Kiki showed me,” he said. “I saw Drew. He’s underground. He’s near a beach and there’s hardly anything there. The water is clear, and the sand is white, and Drew needs us. We have to find him. We can bring them both home. I know we can. I have to try.” His plea was desperate.

Elizabeth shook her head. She wished Franco could accept that he was hallucinating about Kiki and Drew, but he believed it without wavering. It was like talking to him when he thought he _was_ Drew.

“Elizabeth, come on. They never found Drew’s body. He crashed over water. He’s a Navy Seal. If anyone, anyone, _anyone_ could have survived, it was Drew. He knows how to survive in water.”

“I wish Drew were alive,” Elizabeth told him, taking his uninjured hand. “I know how much you miss him.”

Franco exhaled. “Why is it hard to believe? Who in this town hasn’t been presumed dead at some point? Elizabeth, will you at least entertain the idea that Drew is out there?”

“Okay,” Elizabeth agreed. “Where do you think he is?”

“He’s on an island. It’s secluded. It’s rocky. It’s warm. The beaches are white.”

“And Kiki is there too? Maybe you just saw a glimpse of heaven?”

“No,” Franco disagreed. “Kiki was healthy. Drew is miserable. He’s trapped. He’s being held against his will. He needs help and I have to help him.”

There was a knock on the hospital room door. Elizabeth motioned for Ava Jerome and Nikolas Cassadine to come inside. Nik hung back, close to the door. Elizabeth had called Ava desperate for her to help convince Franco that Kiki was a hallucination.

“Franco,” Ava said, her voice seemed to accent the “o” of his name. “How are you feeling? I’m so sorry about your hand. But I know you will do whatever it takes to get full use back. You’ve overcome worse than this.”

“Ava,” Franco said with relief. “I’m so glad you’re here. You have to help me. I saw Kiki and she showed me where Drew is being held captive. No one will believe me. Please, Ava, tell them I’m not crazy. You would know, wouldn’t you? If our little girl was still alive. You feel it too, don’t you? She’s out there, waiting for us to find her.”

Tears sprung into Ava’s eyes. She had experienced many moments of this desperation that Franco was expressing, the consuming _need_ for Kiki to be alive, somewhere, somehow. She put her hand on his shoulder. “Oh, honey, I wish I could tell you she’s out there, alive, and that she needs us to rescue her.” She looked away. “I saw her body. I felt her cold, lifeless face. I begged her to wake up and I demanded that she come back to me. Franco, we buried her. She’s gone.”

Franco took a deep breath, remembering Kiki’s body lying in the casket before it was closed. He too had felt her lifeless flesh and brushed the hair way from her closed eyes. He felt his own eyes fill will tears, thinking of the beautiful blue eyes Kiki had and her sweet smile. “She was right there, Ava. She was beautiful. She was glowing. She was wearing a dress with sunflowers and running across the beach. She wanted me to follow her.”

“It sounds heavenly,” Ava told him, picturing her daughter running barefoot across a pristine beach, her hair flowing in the wind, a smile on her beautiful face, life dancing in her eyes. She cut her eyes toward Nik who was shrinking away, remembering how he had tormented Ava with the idea that Kiki was in hell. It was a hideous thing to do to a woman that he had sent into a mental break.

“She led me to Drew. He couldn’t hear me, but I saw him there.”

“Our Kiki could hear you and see you?” Ava asked for clarification.

“Yes!” Franco exclaimed. Finally, someone was listening to him.

“But Drew couldn’t?”

“No.”

“Maybe the reason that Kiki could speak to you and Drew couldn’t is that they’re in different places,” Ava suggested kindly. It tore her heart out to think of Kiki’s death. It hurt her to see Franco so upset about Kiki, just as she was. Moving on wasn’t so easy. They both held onto their grief and tried to lock it away from the world.

“You really believe Kiki’s gone?” Franco asked. He implored her to give him a little hope that Kiki was out there, waiting for him to find her.

Ava tried to smile, but it twisted into a frown as she fought back tears. “I would give anything to have our Kiki back. Anything. She was a kind and beautiful soul and we lost her too soon.” She stroked his cheek. “But we did lose her.”

Franco turned away as tears slipped from his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he told Ava. “For making you go through this again.”

Ava nodded. “I understand you were given some potent medication. Of course, you dreamed about Kiki. You’ve had a much worse day than I have,” she assured him. “And, Franco, I don’t mind remembering Kiki. In fact, I love remembering Kiki and you’re one of the few people who loved her as much as I did. I’m here any time you want to stroll through our memories. It’s one way to keep her alive in our hearts.” She looked to Elizabeth. “If you don’t mind,” she added.

“Of course, I don’t mind,” Elizabeth answered. “You shared a bond over Kiki and her loss devastated both of you. I’m not jealous or insecure about your past relationship. You had a beautiful, wonderful daughter and you should be able to speak about her.”

Ava smiled and nodded. “You’re such a sweet soul, Elizabeth. I’m happy Franco has you.”

“I’m glad he has you,” Elizabeth responded. “I do apologize for bringing you out, but I couldn’t get through to him about Kiki. I hoped you could.”

Ava made a gesture that was an “air hug” since she couldn’t physically touch Elizabeth. She had been less strict about social distancing with Franco because she knew the need for human contact when grieving.

Elizabeth glanced at Nik who was looking somehow guilty about this. She wondered if he regretted telling Ava that Kiki was in hell or if there were more things that he regretted that he was keeping to himself.

After Ava and Nik excused themselves, Finn took over the conversation.

“Do you believe Kiki is really gone?” he asked.

“I guess so,” Franco agreed, sulking.

Finn and Elizabeth exchanged a glance to celebrate the improvement in his condition.

“But Drew is alive. I have to find him. Kiki wanted me to see that he’s alive so I could bring him home. That’s what I’m going to do. She showed me his misery so I could help him.”

Elizabeth’s heart fell. She wasn’t sure if anyone could convince Franco that his brother was gone when there was no body.

“I need to give you another round of medication,” Finn told him.

Elizabeth injected the needle into the IV that was pumping much needed fluids into his body. She watched her husband slowly drift back into unconsciousness. “Please tell me that’s not the same stuff you used at the house,” she told Finn.

“It’s not as strong.”

“Well, if he wakes up proclaiming that Prince and Tom Petty are alive, you’re dealing with that.”

“I will accept full responsibility,” Finn nodded.


	6. Chapter 6

“You’re working?”

Elizabeth was surprised by the question when Jason stopped her near the nurses’ hub. She was in red scrubs with a white long sleeve shirt under the top. “There’s a pandemic,” she said flatly. “My job is kind of important these days.” While things were improving, she was still working overtime out of necessity. The influx of patients was more than the General Hospital staff could handle running normal shifts.

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I just thought you’d be with Franco.”

“He understands that I need to see patients. He’s not selfish and doesn’t need me to hold his hand.” She chose the phrase deliberately to remind Jason that Franco had a bullet go through his hand thanks to Jason.

Elizabeth’s icy glare would have made Jason tuck his tail between his legs and cower if he were a dog.

“He, um,” Jason started. It was torture to ask, “Will he be able to paint again?”

Elizabeth inhaled deeply and blinked, refusing to answer. She knew Jason did not care if Franco’s career was destroyed by this incident. Jason had no right to know anything about Franco’s prognosis. “Did you stop me for a reason?”

“I wanted to ask how Jake is doing.”

Elizabeth slammed the clipboard she had in her hand onto the counter of the hub. “Let’s review. While in the middle of a tying to kill someone, you were overpowered by rival mobsters. Instead of fighting, running, or even dying to protect Jake, you brought those thugs to my house where they shot my husband, held my son at gunpoint, and had Cameron and Aiden hiding in terror upstairs. Speaking of, why is it that Cameron kept his wits in the situation and kept Aiden safe?” She gave Jason a few seconds to think about it.

“In the last year he was kidnapped by Hank Archer, son of one of Sam’s conned ex-husbands who came to town to get revenge on _her_. Cameron saw Franco literally sacrifice his own life to save him. For months, my whole family suffered because we didn’t know if we would be able to get Franco back. Then, while going to a dance with his friend, Cameron was kidnapped _again_ by _your_ rivals, held at gunpoint again, terrorized, and at the scene when Trina’s father was killed. My kids and my husband keep winding up in danger because of _your_ bad choices in life and _Sam’s_ bad choices in life.”

Jason was quiet as Elizabeth continued.

“Yet, instead of protecting Jake, even sacrificing yourself for your own kid, you tried to… I don’t know, Jason. What was your plan?” she took a breath.

“I don’t even care. I know your goal was to save Sonny’s ass at any cost, including Jake’s life.”

“I would never have let them hurt Jake.”

Elizabeth threw her hands in the air, frustrated. “Oh my god, you idiot! You are as dumb as a brick. Do you think Jake is _fine_? Do you think this was the best way for him to find out that you’re so deep into the local crime syndicate that your life is in danger all the time and, by association, so is his?”

Jason had no response. He could only think of telling Sam that Danny and Scout were in danger. He should have been as forthcoming with Elizabeth, but he had failed.

“I’m tired of this Jason.” Elizabeth shook her head. “I’m done. We tried when he was little. You could pretend you worked at a coffee warehouse and Jake could look up to you. He knows that’s not the truth now.” She sighed, thinking of how Jason thought he could sit in righteous judgment of everyone else while he literally chose to kill people for profit. “

“You asked me once what Jake would think when he found out who Franco was in his past, when he was sick. The problem here isn’t _Franco’s_ _past_ because it was a medical issue and it is his _past_. He’s an entirely different person now and pretty much everyone in this town can recognize that.” She paused, “The problem is you, Jason. your life of crime and violence is _the present_. It’s now. You put no one ahead of Carly and Sonny—not even Sam or her kids. You would rather miss out on their lives than miss an opportunity to stick your head further up Sonny’s ass.”

Jason frowned, but Elizabeth kept going. She had so much to say that he knew he had to hear it, whether he liked it or not. This latest incident was the one that broke the dam for Elizabeth and Jason was the target of her deluge.

“I’m done. I’m not having it in Jake’s life or affecting the rest of my family. My involvement with you is by far the stupidest, most reckless period of my life and I wish that we never found out that Jake is your son. He would be better off with deadbeat Lucky’s DNA because Lucky may not be around to support the kids, but he’s also not around to _endanger_ them.”

“What are you saying?” Jason asked.

Elizabeth grimaced. “What part didn’t you understand? Do I need to use smaller words?” she had her hands on her hips. “You gave up your paternal rights before. I let you back into Jake’s life and that was _my_ mistake. I want you to explain to Jake that you can’t be his father and _why_ you can’t be his father. You tell him that you choose Sonny Corinthos and danger and crime and money and power over being his dad. _You_ tell him that because you made that decision. And then you sign the papers and don’t look back. Whatever benefit Jake would have from being a Quatermaine, you can keep. I don’t care about money. I care about my family.”

Elizabeth’s heart was racing. She could scarcely believe her own fortitude. She did it. She told Jason to pick Jake or take a hike. She kept her chin up, kept eye contact with Jason, refusing to be intimidated.

“I’ll talk to him,” Jason nodded. He turned and walked away.

Elizabeth’s mouth was agape as she watched him go. Despite everything in his history, there was a tiny part of her that thought Jason would pick Jake. Her heart broke for her son. Jake would be devastated. The only thing she could quickly grab was a pencil holder. She threw it at Jason’s back, but she missed him, and he didn’t even notice the sound of the pens and pencils scattering across the floor.

“Girl, what did that man do to piss you off?” Felix Dubois asked, stooping to pick up the pencils while Elizabeth watched Jason disappear around a corridor.

She shrugged. “He cares more about the Corinthos family than Jake. He’s going to give up his paternal rights because he would rather play with geriatric mobsters than be a father.”

Felix set the pencil holder back in its place on the hub and leaned the hub while he spoke to his friend. “Sounds to me like running his morally compromised ass off was the thing to do.” Felix was aware of the hostage situation. The entire town was.

“I never should have even let him back into Jake’s life,” Elizabeth lamented.

“Liz, you’re a fair, kind, and decent woman. You didn’t want to keep a son from his father. The problem here is some men aren’t good enough to be fathers. He had viable sperm and that’s all he had to offer.” Felix shrugged. “And if he would rather have a certain lifestyle than a relationship with his son, he’s not worth your worry or Jake’s.”

“I know you’re right,” Elizabeth replied. It hurt her to know Jake would be hurt.

“Besides, Jake’s going to be fine. He has a great mom, great brothers, his grandma is the mayor, and that man you married has turned out to be one hell of a fine father to your boys.”

Elizabeth smiled. “He really loves my boys.”

Felix laughed. “I think he would claim them for himself. He’s the father to those kids. DNA doesn’t mean a damn thing when it’s measured against love.” He paused, “Look, Liz, maybe I should keep my opinion to myself…”

“You never have before,” Elizabeth interrupted, grateful that she had a few honest friends.

“Well, I’ve known you a long time and I’ve seen you go from one disaster of a relationship to another. Don’t give me that look,” he said, seeing Elizabeth’s frown. “You know you’ve been through some real losers. Take the win. Franco may be complicated as hell, but love isn’t easy anyway. Just be grateful you got it right this time, that you saw who he was before the rest of us could. That man would die for you or those boys and that’s the kind of man you deserve.”

“You’re right,” Elizabeth agreed. “He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me and the boys.” Her adrenaline rush settled, and she felt calm.

Protecting Jake from the mob was the right thing for her to do—for Jake, Cameron, Aiden, Franco, and herself. She refused to ask Sonny or anyone else to protect her family. She would not be indebted to anyone. **_She_** would protect her family, along with her husband who had shown time and again that he was the only person on earth who loved those boys with the same devotion that she did.

Jason’s loyalties were to another family, not his own. That was his decision to live or die with. Jake would not be pulled into that life again.


	7. Chapter 7

Jake Webber sat on the foot of his stepfather’s hospital bed, his legs swinging back and forth while he talked about how cool it was that they had escaped from the crazy gunmen.

The head of the bed was tilted upward so that Franco could sit up. He was alert, had stopped talking about Kiki and Drew (for the time being), and his right arm was in a sling to facilitate healing of his hand.

Jake noticed Franco glance at his hand while he was speaking, and he quickly corrected the course of his monologue. “Well, it’s not cool that you got shot. That really sucks. Especially because it’s your hand.”

“I guess I’ll have to turn over my paintbrushes to you,” Franco said. He was trying to make a joke, but it fell flat because there was nothing funny about it.

“You don’t have to pretend that you’re not sad,” Jake told him. He leaned towards Franco and gave him a hug. “You’ll get better. You always get better.”

Franco nodded, hoping Jake was correct. He considered the many possibilities—not being able to use his hand again; regaining partial use with therapy; regaining full use; learning to paint with just his left hand; painting with his feet; not painting at all….

“I thought it was awesome that you freaked that guy out by letting him believe we all had the virus,” Jake laughed. “That was, like, _the best_ because he got all squirrelly and _Don’t breathe on me, man!_ ” Jake laughed at his own impression of Shawn Butler. “The total best part though was when my dad played along and coughed with us. I know you two don’t like each other, so… that was awesome because you were working together.”

Their attention was caught by the door opening. Elizabeth walked in with Jason following her.

Franco was immediately suspicious of Jason’s presence. He was unaware of the conversation Elizabeth had with Jason about Jake’s safety.

Elizabeth chose not to tell Franco because she had sincerely hoped that Jason would choose Jake over the Corinthos family.

“Jake, Jason is here to talk to you,” Elizabeth said. “That’s why I had Grandma Laura bring you to visit without Cam and Aiden.”

Franco looked from Jason to Elizabeth. “I’d offer to leave but….” He lifted his injured arm slightly.

“No,” Elizabeth said. “This involves you too, ultimately.”

A puzzled expression crossed Franco’s face. He tried to avoid Jason as much as possible to keep the peace.

Elizabeth motioned for Franco to scoot over and she sat beside him. “Jake, come sit with me,” she said. Meanwhile, Jason sat in the chair that was in the room.

Jason wore a black t-shirt and jeans, as he did almost every day. He looked at Jake with Elizabeth and Franco. Jake wore his hair kind of long like Franco. Maybe it was on purpose because Jake admired Franco so much. Maybe it was because they both had _quarantine_ _hair_. Nonetheless, the three of them together _looked_ like a family.

“Jake, I need to tell you something,” Jason started. “It’s going to have a big effect on our relationship.”

“Is it bad?” Jake asked.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Jason replied. “Your mother and I spoke yesterday.” He caught the glare that Elizabeth gave him. She was not going to allow him to push this decision off on her. “I made a decision to keep you out of danger.” He realized he had to take responsibility for this. Elizabeth _would_ have let him stay in Jake’s life if he left organized crime behind.

“What danger?” Jake asked.

“Jake, those men that came to your house the other day… I’m around people like that all the time. It’s part of my job. It’s a dangerous job and the danger reached out and affected your entire family. That’s on me.” He glanced at Franco for a split second. He surprised himself, feeling a twinge of guilt that Franco might not be able to paint again. In all his thoughts in the last twenty-four hours he had realized that Franco really had changed since his brain tumor was removed. Franco’s rebirth as a relatively normal guy contributed greatly to his ability to walk away from Jake.

Jake listened, alarmed that something bad was going to happen. He could tell Jason was serious.

“When you were born, your mother and I decided that the best way to keep you safe was for me to sign over my parental rights, to not have any claim to you at all.”

Jake’s expression fell. “But… you’re in my life now.”

“I guess we made a mistake thinking that I could do what I do and be a good father too.”

“I don’t understand,” Jake told him. Elizabeth put her hand on his arm to reassure him that he wasn't alone.

“I’m walking away, but it’s to protect you.”

Jake started to cry. “But, don’t you love me?”

Elizabeth and Franco both could feel Jake’s heart breaking. The child deserved better than being abandoned like this. Elizabeth and Franco both carried the scars of parental abandonment. Now Jake would too. 

“Of course, I do,” Jason answered. “That’s why I have to protect you.”

“That doesn’t make sense,” Jake protested. “Just get another job. Then you won’t be in danger.”

Jason looked down and back at his son. “I’m afraid it’s not that simple. I’ve been in this business for so long, that I can’t get out. Even if I did, I would still be a target.”

“A target of what?” Jake plead for an answer. “Why are you picking your job over me?”

“I’m not picking my job over you,” Jason told him. Essentially, he was doing just that. But he tried to spin it so that Jake would see it as a sacrifice. “I never thought I would have kids when I got into this life. I didn’t think about the future. But what I do, it’s not something you just step away from.”

“ _What_ do you do?” Jake demanded.

“The less you know, the better.” He evaded answering.

“The better for me or the better for you?” Jake asked. His tears had subsided as anger grew within his chest.

“Both.”

“So, you’re not going to be my dad anymore? Just like that?”

“It’s what I have to do. It’s the right decision.”

Jake wiped away any tears that were left. “Are you going to stop being Danny’s dad too? And what about Scout? Her dad got killed. Who’s going to look out for Scout?”

“Danny’s mother and I have discussed this situation and, yes, I told her I had to step away.”

“I’m never going to see you again?” Jake asked.

“I’m not sure,” Jason answered. “But I’m giving up any right to claim you as my son. I’m doing it to keep you safe. From now on, I’m just Jason.”

Jake’s eyes were dry but revealed the hurt and betrayal he felt.

“It’s for the best. I promise that someday you will understand that. You have a family that will protect you and love you.”

“So, you don’t have to?” Jake asked bitterly.

“The only way I can protect you is to step away,” Jason reiterated.

“Fine!” Jake yelled. “I don’t need you anyway. I have a mom and a dad already.” He turned away from Jason and buried himself into a hug with both Elizabeth and Franco. They both rubbed his back to try to comfort him.

“It’s going to be okay,” Elizabeth whispered.

“I know you do,” Jason said. “I wouldn’t step away if I didn’t think you would be safe.”

“I guess if you need me, call me.” Jason said. It was awkward. He wanted to sever his ties with Jake for his safety, but he also wanted Jake to know he would show up if he needed to. Seeing that Jake was upset, and that Elizabeth and Franco were doing what they could to comfort him, Jason nodded and left the room and his son behind.


	8. Chapter 8

“Which way should I hold the brush to make something like this?” Jake asked Franco. He pointed to a section of a painting Franco created a months ago while he had been working with his patients.

Franco now received physical therapy in the art therapy room. Jake was clinging to Franco since Jason walked away. Elizabeth still worked too many hours every week and Jake needed more individualized attention to get through this stage of his grief.

It was heartbreaking for Elizabeth and Franco to watch Jake struggle with his sadness and anger. Cameron was infuriated by Jason’s decision to abandon Jake. Aiden more or less understood how Jake felt and told him he would be okay.

“I use an older brush and twist the bristles. That gives that spotty coverage of different colors. I put one layer of color and then the next,” he explained.

He watched Jake pick up an old brush and try the technique.

“Like this, right?” Jake asked.

“Like that,” Franco replied. “You know, Jake, you don’t have to copy my techniques.” Jake had asked many questions about how Franco went about creating. He could tell Jake was trying to make his work look like Franco’s work. “You’re very talented and you have already discovered things that are uniquely you.” He took the book of drawings Jake had made for him from his desk.

With his left hand, he opened the pages and found a tiger that he and Jake both loved. His right arm was in a sling most of the day. “Look at this,” Franco said, pointing out the stripes Jake had made. “I see that you used broad brush and then a fine brush. That’s the kind of thing you learn as you grow.”

“You don’t want me to be like you?” Jake asked. He sounded heartbroken.

“Jake, I want you to be like _you_ because you’re amazing and way more awesome than I have ever been.”

Jake gave him a look of doubt. “No one is buying _my_ work.”

“Did you have a show and not invite me?” Franco asked. Jake laughed and shook his head. “No one would buy a forged Monet either. Art stands out if it’s unique. Yours is unique. No one has seen your work. I bet if we had a show together, your stuff would fly off the walls faster than mine.” He wanted Jake to feel good about himself and his art. Jake was suffering because he now had a cloud of belief that he wasn’t good enough to love or to fight for. He wasn’t good enough to be _chosen_.

“I think you’re just being nice because I’m sad.”

Franco shrugged. “Well, I’ll call Ava right now and schedule a showing.”

Jake laughed. “No, you won’t.”

Franco sputtered, “Oh, yes, I will.” He took his phone from his pocket and unlocked it using his left hand. He picked Ava from his favorite contacts list and put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, Franco!” Ava answered. “How’s the hand?”

“It’s terrible,” Franco answered. “We’re going to have to sell _all_ my work to pay for these stupid surgeries and therapy sessions.” He was overdramatic with his announcement. “Monica brought in a microsurgeon to help repair nerves and blood vessels. He’s practically a magician, but he’s incredibly expensive.”

“Well, I do enjoy selling your work. But I’m sorry about the reason.”

“Ava, I have you on speaker. Jake is with me. You remember he’s my little protégé, right?”

“Yes,” Ava answered. “You have told me a million times how talented he is. Hello, Jake,” she added.

“Hi, Ms. Jerome,” Jake said back to her. He beamed hearing her say that Franco told her he was talented. She was a _real_ art dealer.

“It’s _Mrs. Princess Cassadine_ now,” Franco corrected Jake.

“Sorry, Mrs. Princess Cassadine.”

Ava laughed. “For you, Jake, you can call me _Ava_. I intend to represent you someday so you might as well get used to calling me by my first name.”

“Really?” Jake asked, his eyes wide.

“Of course. It’s much less cumbersome than _Mrs. Princess Cassadine_.” Ava was keeping in touch with Franco because she cared about his recovery, not just as his dealer, but also as his friend. She was aware of the difficult time Jake was facing and read the situation for what it was—Franco needed help making Jake feel good about himself.

“So, about that showing…” Franco began. “I think we should let Jake put his work up with mine. He’s ready. And think of the press. My protégé, just a mere _child_ , ready to take the art world by storm. We should get it on the calendar.”

“Nothing’s on the calendar right now,” Ava reminded him. “But I love the idea. We can sell it with your disability and Jake as the one who will carry on your legacy.” She paused a moment, thinking of the pitch. “ _I love it_.”

“Thanks,” Franco responded sarcastically. “I’m glad my debilitation will make you a nice profit.”

“Oh, come on, Franco. You’ll get your hand working again. Your fans don’t have to know that. Think of how it will drive up the price. It’s fabulous really.”

“It’s not _that_ fabulous,” Franco disagreed.

“It’s the next best thing to dying. What artist other than you would get shot in his hand after being stabbed and having your brain rewired for a while? You get see your own work skyrocket in value.”

Franco sighed. “You know, I’ll let you and Pops work on the financials. I don’t like how excited you are about my potential death.”

“You leave it to me to generate interest and as soon as the governor will allow gatherings—” she stopped. “Oh, wait…. Even better, we can do several nights limited to 5 potential buyers each night. They can register and we’ll do a lottery. Oh, I love that. It will put pressure on the first 5 to spend, spend, spend and make the last 5 fight over whatever’s left, if we even get to let all the buyers in.”

“You _are_ brilliant,” Franco acknowledged. Her plan wasn’t a bad one. And his family could use the financial boost after all his medical expenses and the house repairs.

“I’m calling Scotty right now. We’ll coordinate the details.”

“Get back to me and Jake,” Franco said, reminding her in her enthusiasm about making a mint that the purpose of the call was to make Jake feel better.

“Jake, your first show will be amazing. Just wait,” Ava promised.

“Thanks, Mrs. … Ava.”

“Bye, darlings.”

“Bye,” Franco ended the call. He looked at Jake who was happy for the moment. “I told you. You’ll be famous by Christmas!”

There was a knock on the door and Felix let himself into the room. “The _Therapist to the Therapist_ has arrived!” he announced dramatically. Felix was working with Franco on his recovery.

“Hey, Felix,” Franco said. He sighed. Therapy was not a pleasant experience.

“Okay, Jake, go find your mom. Your dad tends to say bad words when I work with him and we don’t want to hurt your delicate ears.”

“I’ve heard bad words,” Jake snickered.

“Scoot,” Felix said.

“You just want to be alone with me,” Franco deadpanned.

“All the nurses want to be alone with you,” Felix replied quickly, causing Franco’s face to redden.

Jake laughed. “I’ll see you later.”

“Hey, put on your mask,” Franco said, tossing Jake the Superman themed cloth mask he wore around other people.

Jake caught it. “Got it. Don’t say too many bad words.”

“That’s really up to Felix,” Franco responded.

NOTE: _I realize that Felix is not a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. However, the show set the precedent of Epiphany who is an RN being able to do Sonny’s PT, so I’m running with that instead of creating a new character._


	9. Chapter 9

NOTE: _I realize that Felix is not a physical therapist or an occupational therapist. However, the show set the precedent of Epiphany who is an RN being able to do Sonny’s PT, so I’m running with that instead of creating a new character._

“I can’t believe this is making me sweat,” Franco complained. He was barely wiggling each finger in turn.

“You’re sweating because it hurts like hell,” Felix told him, paying careful attention to the micromovements. His gloved hands were the same color as his blue scrubs. He helped straighten Franco’s index finger.

After Franco attempted to follow his instructions, Felix noticed that he would do the task with his left hand after trying to do it with his right hand. “Is this an OCD thing?” he asked, motioning toward Franco’s left hand.

“Huh?” Franco asked, completely unaware of what Felix meant.

“You do everything with your left hand that I tell you to do with your right hand.”

“It makes sense to me,” Franco explained. “If I practice on the left side, I can makes a connection to apply to the right side when it’s ready to work.”

“Oh,” Felix nodded. “That does make sense.”

“Besides,” Franco added. “It feels weird to exercise only one side.”

“Elizabeth was just telling me that Jake is having a tough time since that dirty dog just threw him away.”

Franco made a pained sound when he moved his thumb a little too far.

“I know, you don’t like to talk about Jason,” Felix said, not acknowledging the overextended motion. “She also told me that you have been incredible with Jake. She says you’re the only reason Jake is as emotionally stable as he is.”

“She’s exaggerating,” Franco disagreed. “She’s a good mom and she listened when I told her Jake had some deeper issues after Helena Cassadine took him. She went against Jason—who was actually Drew—to let me work with him. So, it’s really Elizabeth who made the difference because _she_ put Jake ahead of Jason.”

“Well, Jason certainly doesn’t put Jake ahead of Jason,” Felix scoffed.

“I can’t argue with that,” Franco sighed. “Are we done yet?”

Felix checked his watch. “Not quite. Let me work directly with your hand for a few minutes.”

Franco looked away. He wasn’t squeamish, but he realized it hurt more when he saw what Felix was doing. The expectation of pain became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The door swung open and Cam burst into the room with Aiden following him. “I’ve got to talk to you and mom!” he announced. His cheeks were rosy from running up the stairwell. He didn’t want to waste time waiting for an elevator with only four people on board. 

“What’s wrong?” Franco asked.

Felix completed his work and retrieved an ice pack from the small freezer in the room. “Keep that on your hand fifteen minutes,” he ordered.

“Do you know where mom is?” Cam asked Felix before he left the room.

“No, but I’ll find her and send her to you.”

“Thanks.”

“What’s going on?” Franco asked, concerned. “What are you doing out of the house?”

“Neither of you have your phones on!”

“Okay,” he decided not to make an issue of the shelter-in-place violation. Cam had gained common sense in leaps and bounds in the last year, so Franco knew he was at the hospital for a good reason. “What’s wrong?”

“Yeah, I want to know that too,” Elizabeth walked in. “I was just outside when Felix told me you were here.”

“Where’s Jake?” Cam asked.

“He went to the cafeteria to get a snack.”

Cam sat down at the table with Franco who was holding the ice pack over his right hand with a small towel between his flesh and the cold pack. Aiden wandered over to the art supplies and started going through them.

“Look, Joss called me. It’s not on the news yet, but Jason and Sonny got arrested. And so did Jordan Ashford. Joss is freaking out because Cyrus Renault had evidence of… I don’t know… _wrongdoings_ by the Corinthos organization the police department. So, the FBI just raided their house and took Sonny and Jason off in handcuffs. I had to tell you before it hit the news because we have to protect Jake.”

Elizabeth was shocked. She looked to her husband who was also stunned. Sonny and Jason had been getting away with murder, attempted murder, assault, extortion, and God only knew what else for decades. Neither of them was surprised that Jordan was busted for corruption after the way she had handled Franco when he was falsely accused of Ryan’s crimes.

Elizabeth sat down with her guys. She rubbed one hand over her forehead and hair, wondering how she would deliver this latest blow to Jake. “How are we going to tell Jake?” she asked as he walked into the room with an arm full of cartons of chocolate milk. He passed them out to his family.

“Did you know we were here?” Cam asked, surprised that Jake had enough for all of them.

“Nope. I got two for me, two for Franco, and one for Mom. So… you and Aiden just got lucky.” He paused, “Why _are_ you here?”

Cam looked to his parents to answer.

“We have bad news about Jason,” Elizabeth started. “Cam found out from Josslyn that he was arrested.”

Jake shrugged. “So what?”

“He thought you would be upset so he wanted to make sure you heard it from us before it showed up on Instagram.”

Jake opened his milk and took a drink. “Thanks, Cam. But it’s okay. I don’t care.”

“Jake, it’s okay to care about Jason,” Franco told him.

“Why should I?” he asked, defiantly. “He doesn’t care about me.” He shrugged again. “So, whatever. Maybe if he had picked me instead of his job, he wouldn’t be in jail. Yeah… whatever. I don’t care.”

“That’s okay too,” Elizabeth said. “If that’s how you feel.”

“It is.”

She nodded. “Cam, will you take Aiden and Jake home? My shift will be over in an hour and your dad and I will be home soon.”

After the boys left, she closed the door behind them and turned around. “Did you buy that?”

“I buy that he doesn’t _want_ to care.” He put the ice pack to the side and attempted to wrap his hand in loose gauze.

Elizabeth sat with him and helped him dress his hand an fasten the sling. “Meltdown. Explosion. Breaking things. Snapping at his brothers. Refusing to do his chores. Which do you think will come first?”

Franco shook his head. “Poor kid. They might all hit at once.” He took Elizabeth’s hand with his functional one. “He’ll be okay. We’ll get him through it.”


	10. Chapter 10

“Why are we watching this?” Jake asked, bitterly, as his family were gathered in their living room waiting for the verdict come down in Jason’s federal trial. Lulu had been sent by Arora’s media division to be a reporter on the scene since she had the advantage of knowing the parties involved.

Jordan had been convicted. Sonny had been convicted. It seemed unlikely that Jason would skate.

“You don’t have to watch,” Elizabeth told Jake. “We’re watching as a family because this affects all of us, whether we want it to or not.”

“Jake, this is the reason Jason stepped out of your life. He knew he could be convicted someday. He didn’t want his past to be a weight around your neck.”

Elizabeth gave a slight smile to Franco. She appreciated that he was trying to give Jake a reason to not be consumed with hatred for his biological father. Jake was more likely to accept a defense of Jason from Franco than from her.

An ugly scene occurred in the kitchen a few weeks prior when Jake criticized his mother for her relationship with Jason.

“Why did you even date him?” Jake demanded. “How stupid do you have to be?” he asked, his words like a knife through Elizabeth’s heart.

“He wasn’t always like this,” Elizabeth said, tears in her eyes. “I’ve known him for so long. He has some redeeming qualities.”

“I wish I’d never been born!” Jake proclaimed. “Then Jason wouldn’t have abandoned me, and Lucky wouldn’t have abandoned me, and Drew wouldn’t have abandoned me.”

The exchange infuriated Franco who would not tolerate Elizabeth’s children being disrespectful to her or critical of her parenting skills. He knew the sacrifices she had made to be a sole provider for most of their lives.

“Jake, apologize to your mother,” he demanded. “Do not ever raise your voice to her again,” he warned.

“Or what?” Jake snapped.

“Or you’ll look back and regret purposefully hurting the one person in this world who has always loved you from the moment you were born, who has always looked out for you, who has always sacrificed what she wanted to provide for you, and has done everything in her power to keep you safe. You’ve got a good mom and you need to realize it and appreciate it. You won’t always have her.”

The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were being lifted in phases almost weekly, but the quarantine period rendered most punishments ineffective as the kids grew accustomed to going to their rooms and eventually bored with their devices and games and didn’t care if they got taken away. Franco’s injury had forced the boys to be even more active in chores than they already were. Truth and reasoning were stronger means to reach Jake than punishment would have been.

“You’re not my father!” Jake yelled at Franco. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“I’m the closest thing you have to a father. I’m your stepfather and I’m an adult, while you’re still a child. So, _yes_ , I can tell you what to do and you _will_ do it.” He had never been this stern with Jake before.

Jake burst into tears. “I’m sorry,” he ran to Franco and hugged him. “Please don’t be mad. Please don’t leave me too.”

Franco patted Jake’s back and invited Elizabeth into their hug with a motion of his hand. “I’m not leaving,” Franco promised. “You mom isn’t leaving. Not if we can help it. You mean everything to both of us.”

“I’m sorry, Mom,” Jake apologized, wiping his eyes with his shirt. “I don’t really think you’re stupid. I shouldn’t have said so.”

“You’re hurting, Jake. I understand that,” Elizabeth soothed him. “But that doesn’t make it okay to hurt other people.”

“I know,” he sniffed. “I didn’t mean to be mean.”

“Anger is normal,” Elizabeth told him. “You just have to be careful how you express it.”

“That’s why we have art, right?” Jake asked. When his mother was home, she often used the art supplies Franco gave her for their anniversary. It was an escape for her that brought her calm in the insanity of the world around her.

“That’s only one reason we have art,” Franco reminded him. “There’s also love, happiness, sadness, random inspiration, finding your life’s muse…” He looked to Elizabeth.

“I _know_ you’re the best mom,” Jake said to Elizabeth. “And you _are_ my dad,” he said to Franco. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings either.”

“We love you,” Elizabeth assured him. “We’re here to help you, always.”

“Don’t forget it,” Franco added.

However, Jake seemed to have forgotten his parents’ devotion for the moment. He did not want to watch Jason being dragged off in handcuffs. But he tempered his emotions and responded in an acceptable way. “You know what? I’m not going to watch,” he said. “Thank you for giving me the option. Aiden, do you want to go play our Star Wars game?”

“Sure,” Aiden agreed, leaving the room with Jake.

“Poor kid,” Elizabeth commented, watching Jake slink up the stairway without any of his typical energy. Her attention went back to the television.

Elizabeth looked to her husband when Jason was proclaimed guilty. She listened to the sentence the judge laid out and then turned off the television. She had no desire to see the camera pan the socially distanced people in the courtroom, many of whom she knew and cared about.

“I better call Joss,” Cam said. He jumped up and ran upstairs, phone in his hand.

“Wow,” Franco commented when it was just him and Elizabeth on the couch.

“Wow,” she repeated. “I never thought I’d see that.”

“Me either,” Franco agreed. “Not that I’m happy about it,” he added quickly. “I have issues with Jason, but I would never wish for Jake or Danny or Monica to be hurt like this. Poor Scout,” he shook his head. “She lost Drew last year and now Jason too.”

Elizabeth grimaced, thinking of the kids. She stood and walked to the window and then turned back to her husband. “I don’t feel sorry for him,” she shrugged. “Maybe I should, but I don’t. He chose to kill people in an organized crime syndicate. Good people don’t do that. Only an idiot would choose that lifestyle. Think of all the time he’s missed with his family over the years and all the time he’s going to miss. And that was his _choice_. Sonny was always more important to him than his kids or Sam or anyone else he was ever involved with.”

“Including you and Jake,” Franco filled in.

She sighed. “I’m so glad he’s out of our lives. I just hurt for Jake.”

Franco approached her and opened his arms. She walked right into his embrace. “I know, baby. I know.”

“Jake is going to be fine,” Elizabeth said, leaning her head against her husband’s chest. “And he’s safe now. That’s the most important thing. My baby is safe.”


	11. Chapter 11

Franco ran across the sand, trying to catch up with Kiki. He followed her to a cave. She looked back and then she slipped into the entrance and disappeared. Franco was hesitant to follow her. His chest was tight with fear of unknown.

He knew he had to follow her though. She had a good reason for showing him the cave and he was certain the reason was Drew.

Franco took a deep breath and stooped down so he wouldn’t hit his head on the entrance to the cave. He saw a sliver of light ahead and went toward it, telling himself to not think about the creatures that might be lurking in the darkness.

He was stunned when the light grew brighter and brighter until he found he was in an underground research lab and Drew was there, in a makeshift jail. He ran to his brother and yanked on the bars. But his hand went right through them. He called to Drew, but Drew couldn’t see or hear him.

But Franco heard something… a man’s voice. It was familiar somehow. He had heard it before, but he didn’t recognize it. The man was mumbling. Franco followed the indistinct sounds and peaked into the room where the voice was originating. There was a man with his back to Franco and there was his friend, Dr. Liesl Obrecht.

She was arguing with the man. “I won’t do it!” she said. “You cannot make me do anything.”

“I got you _here,_ didn’t I? I got _him_ here too. Unless you want to die, you will do exactly what I said.”

“You are a cheap impression of your father; a weakling; a trembling, yellow armadillo with your bullet proof vest and your ability to roll into a ball to hide yourself. You’ll be splayed out on the highway before you know it. There’s a Mack truck coming, Heinrich. You will pay for all of this.”

“Heinrich,” Franco mumbled. Elizabeth, who was walking by the couch where he had fallen asleep thought it was an odd name for her husband to say.

“Heinrich?” she asked, as Franco opened his eyes. “Who’s Heinrich?”

“Armadillo,” Franco repeated.

“Your brain is a strange and beautiful place,” Elizabeth snickered, running her fingers through his hair. She kissed his forehead, assuming he had dreamt of an armadillo named Heinrich.

“He has Drew. And Liesl.”

“The armadillo?”

“Heinrich Faison,” Franco told her, quickly sitting up, trying to recall as many details about the dream as he could. “There’s a cave, but it’s just a cover for a lab. Heinrich is the one who made Drew’s plane crash. He has Drew. He has Liesl. I have to find them.”

“Heinrich Faison… isn’t that Peter August’s given name?”

“Mac!” Franco exclaimed. “I have to talk to Mac Scorpio. He’ll help me because he will want to protect Maxie and James.”

“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth asked. Franco had strange dreams, but he usually had no issue accepting that they were just dreams. She sat next to him and reached to the coffee table and picked up his bottle of prescription pain medicine. “Did you accidentally take two?” she asked.

He didn’t have to take medicine daily anymore, but this had been one of his bad days. His hand was throbbing, so he took a pill and laid down.

“Kiki showed me where Drew is. Liesl too. It’s Peter, Elizabeth. Peter August made the plane crash. And he was going to kill me and Dr. Maddox. There’s something Drew knows that Peter doesn’t want revealed. He’s a coward. He had second thoughts and that’s why he killed his own hitman.”

Elizabeth put her hand on Franco’s knee, rubbing her hand across his denim pants. “You’re having a drug induced dream,” she told him.

“It doesn’t matter if it was drug induced,” he insisted. “Kiki showed me. Maybe she can get through to me better when I’m high.”

Elizabeth nodded. “Okay, so where are Drew and Liesl?”

“That’s why I need to talk to Mac. I need him to find out.”

“So, are you planning to go to the police station and tell Mac you had a premonition about Drew and Liesl? I thought Liesl was taken to The Hague.”

“I bet she’s not there anymore,” Franco told her. “And Mac will be able to find her. Peter arranged for her to take the fall for what he did. And I bet Peter had her taken from The Hague.”

“That’s a lot of speculation,” Elizabeth was concerned that Mac wouldn’t take him seriously. She was having a hard time believing what he said, though she was sure _he_ believed it.

“I’ll ask him about Liesl,” Franco compromised. “If she’s disappeared from The Hague, will you believe me?”

“The problem is getting Mac to believe you. But, starting with Liesl is a good idea.”

“I’m going to the police station,” Franco said, getting up.

Elizabeth stopped him, “No, no you’re not. You just woke up after taking pain medication. We’re still under a Safer-At-Home order. Call the police station and ask Mac about Liesl and then, if, and _only if_ Liesl is missing, tell him your theory.”

Franco sighed his enthusiasm deflated. “I hate it when you make me behave rationally.”

Elizabeth chuckled. “No, you don’t.”

“You’re right. I don’t.”

“Call Mac,” Elizabeth urged him. She wanted his theories to be accurate. She wanted the apparition of Kiki to show him that Drew was still alive, but it was impossible for her to be as sure about it as he was. It all sounded too crazy to be true, which was often the case of things in Port Charles. “You won’t rest again until you do.”


	12. Chapter 12

Franco paced, waiting for the doorbell. Every so often he pushed a couple of slats of the blinds apart so he could look out the window.

“They won’t get here any faster because you’re wearing a hole in the floor,” Elizabeth chided her husband playfully.

“I wish the kids were home,” Franco said.

Elizabeth groaned her disapproval. “They were home for six months. Didn’t you get enough of them then?” As far as she was concerned, school being open, not having to wear a mask all day long every day, and having alone time with her husband were all wonderful reasons to celebrate the lifting of most pandemic restrictions. Travel was still somewhat limited.

“Just for today. Back to school tomorrow. And every single every day until Christmas,” he suggested. “I love ‘em, but I am not a teacher.” He, too, was happy to have things mostly back to normal and to be able to go to work, see patients, and steal kisses from his wife in the hallway.

Franco’s nerves were on fire as he waited. When the doorbell finally rang, he almost tripped on the rug in his rush to get to the door. He threw the door open and burst into not-quite-manly tears. “Drew!”

Franco threw his arms around his long-lost brother, not caring who was watching. “I knew you were alive!” Drew had a clean-shaven face and fresh haircut. He looked thinner and pale, having not been in the sun for a year. But he was alive!

Drew crushed him in a bear hug. “Thank God for you and your stubbornness.” He was astonished that the Scorpio brothers and the WSB had ridden to his rescue using clues that Franco had dreamt and insisted were real.

They let go so that Drew could walk inside and hug Elizabeth. Meanwhile, Franco greeted Liesl with a hug as well.

“I’m sorry I ever doubted you,” he apologized.

“Well, I will forgive you since you came around and sent the Brothers Scorpio to find us.” Liesl looked her best friend up and down. “Your methods may be questionable, but they were effective.” Her thick accent was like a friendly song to Franco.

Franco shook hands with Mac and Robert Scorpio. “Thank you!” He told them.

“Thank you,” Robert said. “Because of you, we were able to throw that snake Peter August in jail where he belongs.” Anna might have been hurt that her son was a hardened, manipulative criminal like his father; but at least she knew the truth and could stop crying over how _she_ had done Peter wrong.

Mac had contacted Robert with the information that Franco gave him, knowing that Robert was desperate enough to nail Peter that he would have followed _any_ lead, no matter how crazy it seemed. Mac himself had not been aware that Liesl had “escaped” The Hague, but when Robert found out that Franco was dreaming about an escaped Liesl, he threw his logic to the wind and followed up with his ties to the WSB.

“We have one more surprise for you,” Mac said, following Robert into the house.

“Elizabeth!”

Elizabeth dropped the glass of water she had prepared for Drew. It had been so long since she heard her sister’s voice. “Hayden!”

Hayden rushed to Elizabeth and hugged her. “Surprise!”

“Where were you?” Elizabeth asked.

“Same place as Liesl and Drew. It’s all Peter August.”

“Peter was working with, but also threatening Nikolas Cassadine. Once Hayden ran, Peter had her abducted as well.”

“Nikolas?” Elizabeth repeated. “What does he have to do with Peter?”

“Cassandra Pierce was blackmailing him to try to smuggle in drugs. Peter had a connection to Helena who had a connection to Cassandra… it’s all twisted. Suffice to say, we will be talking to Mr. Cassadine to see exactly what he knew and when he knew it.”

Elizabeth’s heart sank. Her former friend had turned into a greedy, money-hungry, power-fueled creep.

Hayden hugged Franco. “Hate to say it, but I sure am glad you got shot.” Peter’s three hostages had been dumbfounded that they were found based on Franco’s dreams that allowed the WSB to narrow down locations they suspected of illegal activities to the one where the three Port Charles residents were being held—an island in the Aegean Sea .

“Let me see your hand,” Liesl ordered.

Franco removed his hand from the sling. He was healing, but he still had to be fastidious about even bumping his hand. He, at least, no longer had to wear protective covers over a surgical wound.

“Hmmm,” Liesl studied his hand. “Move each finger.”

He complied.

“Still some stiffness, I see. But exceptionally good progress, all things considered. What microsurgeon worked with you?”

Franco told her about his surgeon while Hayden caught up with Elizabeth and Drew spoke to Mac and Robert. Then they switched conversational partners and Franco filled Drew in on the pandemic, locusts in Africa, “murder hornets” making their way to the USA, and his own experience being a house husband.

Drew’s laughter rang through the room. “I missed you,” he said, hugging his chosen brother again. “I want to hear about this getting shot in the hand thing,” Drew said. “Only you,” he teased. “Only you.”

There was another chime of the doorbell. Franco and Elizabeth looked to each other. They weren’t expecting anyone else.

“May I?” Robert asked, indicating that he would like to open the door.

Elizabeth nodded.

After Robert opened the door, Violet Finn flew past him and into her mother’s arms. “Mommy!” she exclaimed, thrilled to see her mom again after so many months. Without missing a beat, she filled Hayden in on her life and her birthday party, including the snake.

“I also borrowed this little girl to see you,” Finn said. With him was Scout Cain.

Drew’s eyes teared up as he picked up his daughter and kissed her cheek. “I missed you so much,”

“I missed you too Daddy.”

“I think we’ll go on back to the station and start filing paperwork,” Mac suggested to Robert. Here was a family reunion in progress and they were not part of the family.

“Franco, I am personally indebted to you. If you need anything, let me know,” Robert said.

“Same,” Mac offered. “Thanks to you, Maxie knows the truth.”

Neither of them would doubt if Franco told him he was having psychic visions about aliens next time. Given the events of 2020 thus far, they would simply assume he was correct and contact the US Air Force about the _latest_ oddity of the new decade.

Franco watched Drew’s reunion with Scout, smiling wistfully. He felt Elizabeth’s hands wrap around him. “You were hoping they found Kiki, weren’t you?” she asked.

He shrugged. “I can’t help it.” His shattered heart, glued together only by the love of his family, felt the sting of Kiki’s loss over again.

“It’s okay,” Elizabeth whispered. “I was hoping they would find her too.”

“I miss my baby girl.”

“I know no one will ever replace Kiki, but there’s a fifty/fifty shot you’ll have another baby girl.”

He turned to kiss her, putting his hand on her abdomen. “I can’t wait to tell Drew and Pops.” He saw the warning look Elizabeth gave him. “But I’ll wait. I promise. I’ll wait.” Elizabeth wanted to get through the first trimester before sharing the news.

“Well, there’s quite enough to celebrate today, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely. I got my brother back. You got your sister back. And we both got Liesl back.” He grinned mischievously, knowing that Elizabeth—while she wouldn’t want Liesl to be harmed—was not nearly as enthusiastic about her safe return as he was.

“Yes, we’re so blessed.” Elizabeth deadpanned.

“We’re more blessed every day,” Franco kissed his wife and all the excitement around him faded. This woman was his world. She always would be.

—END

_Thinking of stories that I may write in the future, was there any specific thing that you enjoyed about this one (characters used, the way characters were used, pacing, concept)? Please let me know. Thank you for reading. I hope this has given you a little much-needed #Friz Fix._

**Author's Note:**

> This is outside my typical writing because I'm including the mob aspect and current events. The show has left my fellow #Friz fans feeling very dissatisfied this entire year.  
> Comments are appreciated and can be left anonymously as a guest.


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